Recognised as the world’s most influential gathering of elite family office decision-makers, Sir Anthony Ritossa’s Global Family Office Investment Summits in Dubai, Monaco, and Saudi Arabia facilitate funding, partnerships, and co-investment opportunities during three days of exchanges in a private environment.
The 16th edition, launched in Dubai, took place during EXPO2020 Dubai at the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah, from October 3-5, 2021, after the highly successful 15th Anniversary Summit, held in Monaco, earlier in July.
The launch of the Summit coincided with the launch of EXPO2020 Dubai itself, which provided an opportunity for the Summit’s investors and entre-preneurs to gather at the EXPO’s Australian Pavillion.
The Dubai Summit facilities a bridge between Middle East families and their European, U.S., Asian and Latin American counterparts to meet, and network in a safe-harbour environment.
“The Summit attracts visionaries with a passion for making a difference. I could not be more proud of our joint forces to accelerate positive & impactful change for a better tomorrow.It is exciting to be at the forefront of a new era in investing. It is all about connecting with the right mindsets at the right time and place.”
Sir Anthony Ritossa
Chairman, Ritossa Family Office
During the past 5 years, Sir Anthony has hosted 5,200+ elite family offices, prominent business owners, royal families, private investment companies, Sheikhs, and sovereign wealth funds from over 55 countries, representing US$4.5 trillion in wealth.
His events have been responsible for US$2.8 billion+ in investments in companies ranging from start-ups to major global corporations.
Sir Ritossa’s background includes 30+ years of international financial markets and investment experience, including senior executive positions at Nomura, Barclays Capital, Morgan Stanley, BNP Paribas, and Bankers Trust (acquired by Deutsche Bank).
The UAE and GCC Lead the World with Innovation
His Excellency Dr Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the UAE, opened the Summit with high-level commentary on the region’s latest initiatives and a deep dive into how they affect family office investors. EXPO2020, the Golden Visa programme, and a full schedule of upcoming global events continue to position the UAE as a leading global powerhouse. Furthermore, the UAE government’s expert handling of Covid 19 and the health pandemic led the world in effectiveness.
The Summit Highlights included: FDI (foreign direct investment) throughout the GCC has doubled in the past few years, and many success stories have emerged.
New regulations support investors’ search for opportunities, and growth is accelerating at a rapid pace. Dubai is producing unicorns, and there is a strong focus on early growth-stage companies as it expands its position as a technology hub.
The health pandemic has forced investors to recon-sider status quo priorities. Summit attendees agreed, however, that education, technology, and healthcare have always been essential yet are now, more than ever, the keys to a stable, prosperous ancillary economy. They are at the core of everything we do and impact many investment sectors.
Hot new investment sectors continue to be front and center. They also include logistics, oil/energy/ pipelines, artificial intelligence/machine learning, real estate, cryptocurrency, and more.
“SIIA brand brings top luxury formulations to underserved populations, in their neighborhoods where they live.” - Megan Rein, Cofounder and CBO at SIIA Cosmetics · Chair of the Board, Brand Strategist
Impact Investment is Top of Mind
Swiss family enterprise Atmos Clear Investments, with offices in Lausanne, UK and Latvia, is ”investing nearly exclusively in sustainable impact since 2002” said Hugo Sykes, Partner at Atmos Clear. The enterprise has evolved in two divisions recently, one being infrastructure and the other venture capital division.
The theme “Capital Should Service Humanity” is all-important as family offices work together to make the future better for the next generation. Dr Adil Alzarooni, CEO of Alzarooni Emirates Investments pointed out that sustainable practices and concept of a sustainable family office is highly relevant considering the availability of limited resources in the environment and society.
A state-of-the-art example on saving energy and practically eliminating pollution caused by data consumption and data centers was presented by Serge Conesa, founder of Swiss based Immersion4.
On an individual level, speaker and Angel Investor Didi Wong, spoke with Moralmoda and emphasized the importance of sustaining mental health, energy and essentially a positive mindset, in order to make an impact and contribute.
To highlight a concrete example, we talked to Megan Rein, co-founder of the SIIA cosmetic brand, which is a private firm headquartered in Dallas. SIIA partners with the niche retail market, the so-called independent beauty salon supply market with points of sale across the United States. This multi billion dollar market, mainly operated by immigrants and small businesses, is not affiliated with any major chains and represents a massive retail opportunity for SIIA to ”bring top luxury formulations to underserved populations, in their neighborhoods where they live.”
Education is a Key Global Investment Sector
The impact of online learning during the health pandemic supports renewed interest in investing in education. Attendees noted that the business of the $7 trillion education sector is a complex landscape.
Companies that consider the student journey and incorporate that in their offerings will emerge as the eventual winners.
The next event takes place in Dubai, 12-14th December, DubaiSummit.org.